Homosexuality: An Analysis of James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room

Introduction to James Baldwin

Ask any "PK"; they'll tell you that, on top of the four odds that were stacked against him as a child, James Baldwin had one additional card piled up against him. As for the first four: 1) he was born a black child in Harlem, New York, in 1924, not a time nor a place renowned for an abundance of opportunities for a bright young man; 2) he was the illegitimate child of a dirt poor domestic worker; 3) he was the oldest of 9 children; 4) when he was three, his mom married a hard, cruel, and brutally strict father who fancied himself a storefront preacher. And the "PK" card - the preacher kid role - getting out of the way of his dad's fists was one thing, but living up to expectations of the congregation, and...
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